Preparing for Kilimanjaro.

With so many miles on my boots, preparing for Mount Kilimanjaro should of been an easy task. But after a recent accident while skiing in Lake Tahoe my progress was greatly set back. With a hairline fracture in my tibia, forcing me to be on crutches for 2 months and rehab for an additional 2 months. My fears of reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro grew with every passing day.

My training for the 23-40 miles and 19,341 ft elevation hike to the summit has been intense (in-tents). At the local gym I started with 30 minutes on the stair climber with and 30 minutes of Maximum incline on the treadmill at a rate of 3 miles per hour. In addition to the cardio exercise, I focused on core exercises, arm exercises and leg exercises in a rotation.

Weekly routine consists of the following:

(Note: Push yourself, but do not over exercise)

Day 1:

(Switching between the stairs and treadmill every 10 minutes)

30 minutes of stairs (1500 stairs min)

30 minutes of treadmill (Max incline (15), speed 2-3)

Arm and Back exercises: Curls, Pull Down, Bench Etc.

Day 2:

(Switching between the stairs and treadmill every 10 minutes)

30 minutes of stairs (1500 stairs min)

30 minutes of treadmill (Max incline (15), speed 2-3)

Core exercises: All things Abs

Day 3:

(Switching between the stairs and treadmill every 10 minutes)

30 minutes of stairs (1500 stairs min)

30 minutes of treadmill (Max incline (15), speed 2-3)

Leg Exercises

Day 4: Rest Day

To increase the difficulty, you can begin to add weight after a couple weeks. It’s important to note that 1 pound on your foot equals approximately 8 pounds on your back, adding additional weight slowly using ankle weights is recommended. Using a weight vest can be used to increase weight and difficulty, but it’s important to remember that you will only be hiking Kilimanjaro with a 10-25 lbs. pack.